Squid Game Creator Seriously Considered Using an Alternate Ending

Squid Game could have wrapped up on a happier note if its creator Hwang Dong-hyuk chose to close the season with an alternate, cathartic ending.

Squid Game's debut season almost had a happy ending, but creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said it would not do as much justice to the message they wanted to relay through the series.

Viewers binged through Squid Game’s nine episodes when the series dropped on Netflix, and speedrunning was easy with the show’s excellent acting, production, plot, and episode pacing. The final minutes of the series had fans rooting for the broken protagonist Gi-hun, hoping that his arc would complete and he would finally be reunited with his family. Apparently, this was the gist of an alternate ending series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk had in mind for the show. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he instead defends his decision to go with Squid Game’s cliffhanger ending.

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"We actually wrestled between two different scenarios for the ending," Hwang admitted. "There was one, the other alternate ending, where Gi-hun would get on the plane and leave. And then there was of course the one where he would turn back and walk towards the camera. We constantly asked ourselves, is it really right for Gi-hun to make the decision to leave and go see his family, to pursue his own happiness? Is that the right way for us to really propose the question or the message that we wanted to convey through the series?"

Hwang’s dilemma is understandable. Despite Gi-hun’s spiraling self-destructive compulsions, the character has gone through so much loss, trauma, and betrayal that he could have just as easily boarded that plane and walked away from the game. "We came to the conclusion that the question that we wanted to propose cannot be done if he left on the plane," Hwang said. "The question that we want to answer — why has the world come to what it is now? — can only be answered or can only be proposed if Gi-hun turned back and walked towards the camera. So that's how we ended up with that ending in the finale."

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If the events that triggered Gi-hun before boarding his homebound plane were indicators, then it’s easier to see that cliffhanger ending coming. It was also a promise of a follow-up season, something which has been pending since the series released in 2021. Hwang confirmed as much that he had the basic storyline for Season 2 worked out. He also recognizes the wild speculations on how Season 2’s plot would develop, and hopes the storyline he has in mind would exceed fan expectations. "I will not make any mistakes, no matter how small they may be," Hwang assured. "Through the next season, if there was one, I would try to bring more joy to the fans, and maybe more Easter eggs to put in there."

Season 2 of Squid Game is reportedly in production, expected to premiere on Netflix in 2024.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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